With God out of the picture, how easy it has been for the ungodly to set the wheels of social destruction into motion. It's not just the fact that the Bible is no longer taught in our public schools like it once was. It is what was in those teachings that facilitated our founders becoming capable of creating the most powerful and prosperous nation in the history of Mankind.

It was God who filled our sails with strength, wisdom and power. It was Love in our hearts that we valued so dearly. And 'twas patience with ourselves, one another and with God which strengthened our resolve in ways unseen. That forgiveness is taught so clearly in God's word, without it we would once more become a nation angry about wrongs committed generations ago and allow the hatred of bigotry to raise its ugly head once more. It was the Lord's doing which set America free from the bondage of slavery and bigotry.

One of the most troubling developments facing America today, in my not-always-so-humble opinion, is our reliance on electronic communication and money management. As fun, convenient and amazing as electronics can be, that trap will shut down our society completely, once it has been triggered. Shutting down electricity, for example, would make it impossible to access our bank accounts and communication with one another would be restricted to personal one-on-ones. Most of us use email and social media to stay connected. That would stop. The neighbors that few of us know anymore will become our only connections...which mean We, the People will become almost completely disconnected from one another. In a time of attack, externally or internally, this means we would be unable to organize on a national level. Determining who the enemy actually is would be almost impossible without the ability to communicate effectively.

That We, the People have allowed ourselves to become convinced that 'making automatic weapons illegal is a good idea' has also made defending ourselves against a tyrannical, albeit hypothetical, government, an utter impossibility. We, the People would be helpless against such a government. That trap has already been set and baited. It is just a matter of time that a given administration might initiate martial law and history may repeat itself once more. People deemed "enemies" by such a government could be pulled from their homes without charges, locked up for indeterminate times or even killed by a tyrannical government who now has all of the automatic weapons in America. Such actions have been taken time and again in other nations worldwide.

How could We, the People get lulled into such a false sense of security that we would trust a government who regularly lies to us all? Is it because a very few had used such weapons for crime? No, as a matter of fact, according to Mother Jones and numerous other sources, automatic weapons have virtually, if not literally, never been used for mass murders. (Note: This CNN writer is disseminating false information by his comment that "There is obviously no need for any civilian to have such powerful weapons." Perhaps he missed history class throughout his educational years or he would know there is a very, very good reason our founders included the right to bear arms. It was so that We, the People could defend ourselves against a tyrannical government. Will someone please wake Mr. Webster up now? Scary fact #2: This man has been teaching college students this same absurd, flawed illogic.) For those who would dispute this fact, I would also be quick to point out that semi-automatic weapons could be modified fairly easily. One would think criminals would want to do so, but Americans — even criminals — are apparently more responsible than that. So we all gave up our only effective means of self-defense against an enemy who might use these same weapons against us one day. It matters not how we got this way; what is crucial to our survival as a nation is that we undo what's been done as soon as possible.

Many Americans believe that our nation suffers more right now from the effects that racism and bigotry have on a people than we've ever experienced before. Considering how deep the hatred was in the 1940s and 1950s, this says volumes about our nation as a people today. With Rap music churning out hatred toward whites, women and authority, regularly using racial slurs in reference to other blacks, and with black and white children gobbling up this influence, it seems that racism and bigotry is back with a vengeance, only this time the tables are turned. No longer are white people the worst racists in America.

No longer are white people using "the N word" against blacks; now blacks are using that racial slur on those of their own race with apparent permission and even immunity from public scorn. White guilt over slavery which ended in 1865–1865, people! — has returned. Today black folks are stirring each other's emotions and reliving the hatred of their forefathers who have long ago passed on. As the tiny minority of those who subscribe to Political Correctness have taken control of a large chunk of Hollywood via music production and movies, as well as the mainstream media (newspapers and television), former 'hippies' who once espoused "free love" have now become what they once hated: greedy, hateful and destructive. Who were once 'hippies' have now become 'The Man' they used to hate. Ironic, that.

Children both black and white are being used and manipulated, through a pop music and video culture which refers to women as "bitches" and "ho's" whose value is defined solely by how sexually pleasing to men they might be — or not, to rekindle the anger and hatred toward one another as it was in the '40s and '50s. The embers of Racism which had been cooling for years truly have been stirred once more and an unfortunate element in the black community has become again convinced that "Whitey" is the enemy and is responsible for their poverty and troubles, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there are far more white poor people than black poor people.

Ignoring almost completely as well the fact that there are now laws against racial discrimination which have resulted in more black millionaires, business owners, movie, music and video stars, doctors and politicians than ever before, this new generation of bigots seem to be oblivious to the fact that opportunity in America sees the color of one's skin no longer. And yet, amazingly, racism is alive and well in America today once more.

The rekindling of racism in this new generation is not due to new injustices; it is being reignited by a '60s generation who failed to instigate the kind of revolution of which it once dreamed. Now reduced to angry old — and sometimes rich — hippies with a failed calling, their frustration over their generation's failure 'way back when' appears to have driven them to try to transfer their once truly righteous anger onto today's generation, very few of whom have any reason to be angry or bitter. Opportunity is endless in today's America, regardless of faith, lack of faith, race, color, creed, age or sexual orientation. Never before has American prosperity and opportunity been available to so many, and yet never in my lifetime (Baby Boomer) has there been such overt racism and hatred from one American toward another. I fault those in control of the media as well as those responsible for overseeing it, as well as generations of shallow thinking individuals who choose to play in emotional vomit, rather than seeking the Truth.

Our current President has been the most divisive President in my lifetime, pitting the poor against the rich, blacks against whites, Democrats against Republicans, speaking endlessly about "the other side" (what happened to "We are not red states or blue states, we are the United States of America," Mr. President?), Liberals against Moderates and Conservatives, illegal aliens against all Americans (or vice-versa) and the have-nots against the haves. But racism and division are not the only traps set right now.

Were Spiritual principles taught in schools as they once were, forgiveness would have eliminated the anger over wrongs done generations ago and racism would be but a distant memory. But we are collectively miles away from forgiveness today. Our culture seems to be driven to burn itself to the ground, ignoring the multitude of opportunities afforded all today. Many fathers are no longer teaching their children to become men and women of integrity because fathers are largely absent from the home in today's America. Besides, many men are not the fathers they might be because they have become victims of the seeds of hopelessness and anger planted by the hippies of yesteryear, and collectively no longer appear to value integrity over personal and financial gain and instant gratification.

Men and women alike need to shout down this ungodly effort to undo the progress We, the People have made against racism and discrimination. The power to overcome the pull of greediness and jealousy, Self-importance and hatred lives not in our flesh, but comes from God. Regular and fervent prayer and the resulting Spiritual development can empower all Americans to overcome Human weaknesses and evil alike. And the wisdom which is at the disposal of all who choose a Spiritual path is more valuable than gold, silver or diamonds.

We, the People need to chase God again, like He is our only Hope...because He is our best and only hope for Spiritual and national revival. My prayers today are for Americans to wake up and realize that leaders of government are all human, and so are subject to the same failings as the rest of us — greed, lust for power, dishonesty (lying), rationalization and manipulation. Without real accountability, all Human Beings risk caving in to temptation and politicians nationwide and at every level have created a system into which virtually no accountability has been built. This could be rectified within weeks, if only a Senator or member of the House of Representatives would submit a bill which authorizes and enforces the creation of panels of citizens to oversee all public servants in leadership positions. Believe me, finding retired folks or disabled persons to volunteer for political oversight committees which would bring accountability to American politics would be a breeze, I suspect.

Let's review the disturbing truth, shall we? (1) The media is no longer trusted by the majority of Americans. The vast majority of Americans today agree that the media has become little more than a tool which is controlled by our government, which was largely responsible for the outcome of our last two Presidential elections. (2) The government is supposed to provide oversight and accountability to the media through the FCC, but both the government and the media appear to be making an overt effort to divide We, the People and to stir racial animosity. Some believe this effort is designed to cause violence in the streets, to intentionally further divide one American from another. (3) Our government (Homeland Security) recently purchased 750 million rounds of hollow point bullets, followed by a second purchase of 750 million more rounds of hollow point bullets. The Social Security Administration also recently purchased 150 million rounds of hollow points. So with Americans incited into violence against one another, and with effective weapons being made illegal, we have the perfect scenario for a government to declare martial law and take complete control of American citizens. Having already deemed some of us "enemy" (this list has been made public — each name tweeted out publicly by the @TruthTeam2012 Twitter handle), We, the People could do little or nothing to stop any such hypothetical and unconstitutional attacks upon our citizens.

The truth is that blacks, whites, Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians are all equal in America. Race doesn't determine rights, thank God. Every racist thought must be cast aside, and any ideas which separate one American from another must also be ignored. We are one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. No political party can undermine that fact, and no administration can change it without our permission. America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, sought out by millions worldwide who long to live in the safety and abundance provided here.

If the trap is truly set already, then let us remove the bait (racism and division) and disarm the trap, re-arming ourselves in the process. Let no man tear asunder what God has put together. A complete and total housecleaning is required today in Washington D.C. and I pray that Americans would fall in love once more with our benevolent Creator and invite God back into our children's classrooms, and then carefully and wisely replace our leaders with principled and proven men and women from our respective communities who won't cave into Political Correctness, but who stand for that which is right. No longer should we send the rich to Washington, not attorneys, judges, doctors or the career politicians who are already there. Let us choose true representatives of We, the People, who know what Life is living paycheck to paycheck, who understand the importance of balancing a budget. Let us choose our leaders more wisely in the future, and let us make these changes post-haste.

Don Cobb, RAS is an addiction recovery professional and serves as Executive Director for North Bay Recovery Services in Sonoma County, CA. Don recently published a book entitled 12 Steps: NOT For Dummies. The book is a comprehensive addiction recovery manual aimed at the chronic relapser and the stubborn intellectual who just doesn't get it...yet.

Don is a recent Cancer survivor and has been helping men and women for more than 20 years to experience the true freedom that comes from overcoming addictions through Spiritual development and living principled lives.

You can contact Don with your thoughts and feedback at don@<NOSPAM>doncobb.com.